Until now, many cryptocurrencies have either focused on privacy and anonymity, or ease-of-use, but not both. Cryptocurrency enthusiasts have been known to flock to the so-called “privacy coins” because of their preoccupation with anonymity and privacy. More casual users often aren't as fixated on that, and are fine with an easy-to-use coin that may not be very anonymous, but offers convenience and presents an interesting investing opportunity.

Now there's SmartCash, a cryptocurrency that wants to be the go-to coin for the average internet user, but also places a priority on privacy, anonymity in transactions, and decentralization.

The SmartCash Governance Model

The developers of SmartCash really hate the idea of centralized anything – money, institutions – but they're also against centralized platform development. That's right: they don't even want themselves to be in charge of SmartCash. Centralized teams can be biased, ineffective, or restricted by their own rules and priorities. So how is SmartCash supposed to work, then? That's where their governance model comes in.

The principal unit of activity in SmartCash is called a hive, self-directing teams of volunteers that work on different projects. The SMART tokens users possess entitles them to the right to vote on and submit proposals. The SmartHive Fund, which is itself funded with a proportion of each SmartCash block reward, pays out to projects and pays participants based on what they do.

This hive-based model is supposed to allow people to run things themselves, without one group getting too much power.

How Hives Work

When a hive votes on a project, teams take the project forward. Each team is made up of 8 people max, and each team votes on its leader. Teams work without being coordinated by another individual or group.

This system has upsides and downsides. Autonomous teams get to work their own way and all team members have a say in how their team is led, preventing mismanagement by leader appointed by some central authority that team members may not like or trust. On the other hand, it also means that if a team's culture becomes lethargic, there are no outside forces that can compel them to work harder, faster, or more efficiently.

SmartRewards and Tokens

The SmartRewards system is set up so that people have an incentive to hold onto their SMART tokens longer. For example, if you have over 1000 SMART in your wallet and you hold it for a month, you'll get a reward. This payout happens on the 25th of every month.

Believe it or not, this isn't just a way of doing something nice for users and giving them a chance to earn more tokens. So why do this? Well, the more people spend their tokens, the more the token's price can fluctuate, leading to market volatility. By encouraging people to hold onto their tokens, it keeps volatility down and the price stable.

Pretty smart.

Transactions

One of the main focuses of this platform is speedy transactions. That's why they'll soon be unveiling their InstantPay feature, which (like its name implies) enables extremely fast transactions. InstantPay is intended to be used for online payments and even store-based purchases, with quick transactions enabled by a series of nodes that verify payments instantly.

It would be a big feat to manage to get storefronts to accept SmartCash as a form of payment, even with the instant payment feature, since even bigger and more popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are trying (often unsuccessfully) to do the same.

How Private Is it?

As we mentioned earlier, one of the main focuses of SmartCash is its dedication to privacy. It uses something called the Zerocash protocol which uses zero-knowledge proofs – basically, allowing the confirmation of transactions on the blockchain without revealing any information of the parties involved. This allows people to send and receive money with their wallet information or IP addresses to have to be on the record.

Mining SMART

Lots of cryptocurrencies use a proof-of-work algorithm for their mining, which means only those with powerful ASICs can mine profitably, using up large amounts of power in the process. SmartCash uses an algorithm called Keccak which doesn't require large amount of processing power. This means that it doesn't necessarily reward people more based on how expensive and powerful their rigs are, making it so that more people can get in on the action and all the mining doesn't get centered around one small minority of power miners.

The SMART

The SMART token has been around since July 2019, and like many coins, didn't fluctuate wildly in price for the first couple of months. Like most all cryptocurrencies it experienced a boom in January of 2019, followed by a sharp decline. Currently it's hovering around $0.19, down from an all-time high of $2.80. The price is likely to improve with more feature announcements, especially the InstantPay feature which the team plans to release later in 2019.

Buying SMART

Right now the best places to get the SMART token are at HitBTC, CoinExchange, and CryptoBridge. Stocks.Exchange also trades it, but the volume is much, much lower. There are no ways to directly trade fiat money for it, however, so you'll have to first find an exchange that allows you to buy Bitcoin or Ethereum for dollars, euros, or what have you, and then use those BTC or ETH to buy SMART at one of the above-mentioned exchanges.

Storing SMART

SmartCash offers their own native wallet with SMART support, which you can download from the main site. There are versions for Windows, Linux, Mac and Android. The GUI wallet offered by SmartCash allows you to participate in the SmartRewards system and vote on hive proposals, so that might get you the most function out of all of them.

The Future of SmartCash

They've already funded 15 different project via their hive model, which is a sign that things are moving forward. $3.2 million (in SMART) has been put toward these projects. Among their future developments are the ability to trade multiple currencies in their native wallet, invisible addresses for merchants, and even a 24-hour-a-day customer support center – something that most platforms lack.

SmartCash vs Dash

These are slightly similar platforms. Both are cryptocurrencies that are focused on easy mass-adoption and integration with existing services, making it easier for regular people to use crypto in everyday life. Both have their own built-in currencies. SmartCash has more of a focus on decentralization, hoping to one day have all development rest in the hands of self-organized community volunteers, while Dash doesn't. SmartCash also makes use of zero-knowledge proofs for anonymous transactions, while Dash only has private sending as an option, and uses standard coin mixing to achieve privacy.

SmartCash vs Verge

These are very similar platforms. Both of them are cryptocurrencies that are focused on user privacy and anonymity. They also share a commitment to making it easier for people to use cryptocurrency in everyday settings. SmartCash uses zero-knowledge proofs for anonymity, while Verge disguises user information with TOR and I2P. Both seem to have a focus on business use, as well, and both offer several options of wallets to store their coins in.

SmartCash vs Monero

Again, we have two similar coins. Both of these cryptocurrencies are focused on offering private, anonymous transactions where no user information is shared. SmartCash uses zero-knowledge proofs for this, while Monero uses ring signatures and stealth addresses. SmartCash is younger (2019) while Monero has been out longer (2019). As such, SmartCash is still working on being accepted as a form of payment, while Monero already is accepted some places (including Overstock). Monero is more centralized, while SmartCash aims to be a totally decentralized, democratic platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SmartCash a cryptocurrency?Yes.

Does SmartCash offer their own wallet?
Yes, they have a few different wallets on their website.

How does SmartCash mining work?
It's a Keccak algorithm.

Do you know how to buy SmartCash?
You can buy it with Bitcoin or Ethereum on HitBTC, Cryptobridge, or CoinExchange.

Is SmartCash an exchange?
No, although with community involvement it could become one.

Where can I read SmartCash news?
Twitter, Reddit, or crypto blogs.

Is SmartCash coin valuable?
Its value has gone up and down, and may go up again this year.

Is SmartCash on Reddit?Yes.

What's the price of SmartCash?
Right now it's around $0.19.

What's the SmartCash mining profitability?
It depends on how much time and effort you put into it.

Is there a SmartCash masternode?Not really, but there will be nodes for payment verifications.

Where can I join a SmartCash pool?
There are sites out there where people are soliciting others to join their pool.

Can I find tips for SmartCash mining on Reddit?Yes.

Does having an nVidia card help me with SmartCash mining?From what we've read, yes, it does.

Conclusion

SmartCash is one of the few coins that combines dedication to privacy, democratic community-led development, and ease-of-use. Although this coin is still very young and all of its features haven't been fully developed and released yet, it holds a lot of promise. It has some competition, mainyl from Verge and Monero, and with even Bitcoin having trouble getting accepted as a form of payment in everyday situations, SmartCash's dream of being the de-facto crypto coin you could use at your gas station or corner store might be far off. If they keep on developing, however, there's a chance they might reach that goal, so keep your eye on SmartCash in 2019 and beyond.

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